Keratocyte apoptosis and not myofibroblast differentiation mark the graft/host interface at early time-points post-DSAEK in a cat model.

Purpose: To evaluate myofibroblast differentiation as an etiology of haze at the graft-host interface in a cat model of Descemet's Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK).

Methods: DSAEK was performed on 10 eyes of 5 adult domestic short-hair cats. In vivo corneal imaging with slit lamp, confocal, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were performed twice weekly.